Just a Minor Rewrite
by Sylva Dax
Summary: She'd ordered him not to change one line, but . . . The story takes place before, during, and after SITL and FOTD. Reviews are most welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a Minor Rewrite**

by Sylva Dax

**A/N**: I couldn't help myself. I just had to try my hand at a Doctor Who fic. And, of course, it features River and Eleven. I won't ask you to be kind; just honest and constructive and, most importantly, not silent (R&R). Scene from FOTD in italics.

**Disclaimer**: As we all know, I own nothing within the Doctor Who universe outside of my little What If below. The BBC holds that privilege.

* * *

"_Time can be rewritten," he reasoned desperately._

"_Not those times. Not one line. Don't you dare!" River Song told the Doctor who barely knew her. "It's okay; it's okay. It's not over for you," she reassured him gently. "You'll see me again. You've got all of that to come. You and me; time and space: you watch us run."_

"_River, you know my name. You whispered my name in my ear," the Doctor said urgently against the countdown of the computer. "There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time I could…"_

"_Shhhush now." A lone tear belied the smile that trembled on her lips as she said, "Spoilers," and connected the two cables._

A primal scream tore from her lips as every cell of her body was set ablaze. She was falling and there would be no TARDIS swimming pool to break her fall this time. The black abyss swallowed her whole.

Was it all a lie? She'd risked an entire universe to defy a destiny that demanded she kill the man she loved. Yet, he'd professed his love and devotion to her knowing full well that one day soon she'd make this fateful trip to the Library. Had he warned her; begged her not to go? No. He'd loved her passionately and oh so sweetly as the Singing Towers serenaded them through the night, unexplained tears streaking down his cheeks. And he'd left her at her door with a lie on his lips and only that damn screwdriver as a parting gift.

She stopped suddenly, finding herself balancing precariously on a flickering platform of green light. Where was she? There was something so familiar about the green lights. Oh no, she was ghosting! How was that even possible? The bio scanner of her suit should have been fried. Not that it mattered in the long run. She could already tell that her narrow ledge was getting shorter. To her surprise, River found herself backing away from the swiftly approaching edge. She couldn't help laughing at the irony. She'd picked a fine time to worry about her health.

Dangling hopelessly from the last purchase of green light, River suddenly found herself whisked away. As the blackness gave way to bright sunlight and an expanse of green, strong arms seized her and plunged her back into the darkness. She fought to get free.

"Stop it, River. Stop fighting me, " the Doctor pleaded.

She stilled in his arms. "Doctor?"

"Yes, River, it's me," the Doctor, her Doctor, nearly sobbed with relief. "Hold onto me, love. Sexy's got to get us out of here."

"Doctor, you can't be here," River declared, even as her arms wrapped around his neck. "What have you done, you foolish, impossible man? I'm dead. There's nothing left of me. I'm merely ghosting. You've got to let me go."

"No, I won't let you go." Even as he said it, the Doctor could feel River being pulled back. CAL was desperately determined to save her as he had originally intended. Realizing that River had released her hold on him, he barked, "Don't you dare let go!"

"I won't take you with me," she cried, struggling to be free.

"River, do you trust me?" he asked, fighting to maintain his grip on her as CAL's pull increased.

"I did. With my life," she sobbed, ruefully.

"Then trust me now," he cried. "SEXY, GET US OUT OF HERE!"

(to be continued)


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a Minor Rewrite**

by Sylva Dax

**A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews. What started out as a one shot story when I first thought of it, has grown to three parts. I will try not to keep you waiting too long for part 3. **

**Disclaimer: i own nothing of the Doctor Who universe. I have merely borrowed it from the BBC.**

He'd barely made it inside before she felt him slide down her doors into a crumpled heap on the floor. For countless hours he remained where he'd collapsed, sobbing his hearts out. She longed to wrap her arms around him and hold him close as he cried, but there was only so much she could do. So the TARDIS did what she could: she dimmed the lights and hummed gently as she took her thief where he needed to go.

Completely and thoroughly drained the Doctor dragged himself into his shower, which was thankfully closer than usual, and opened the valves full blast. Staggering under the assault he started laughing hysterically when he realized he was still wearing his new suit. It was totally ruined. GOOD! He'd only worn it because she'd said he'd worn it. He should have worn his trusty tweed and bow tie, with a fez for good measure. Would that have made a difference? Saved her?

_"Time can be rewritten."_

_"Not those times. Not one line. Don't you dare!"_

"Damn you, River!" he exploded, stumbling out of the shower. "Why didn't you let me save you? I'm the Doctor; I save people. That's what I do. Save people. But you tied my hands. So I did the only thing I could think of. I gave you my screwdriver."

Angrily, he peeled off his sopping wet clothing. Kicking the sodden heap, he spat, "I'm going back. To hell with spoilers. I've got to warn her."

After dressing quickly in his more customary attire, the Doctor nearly tumbled down the stairs in his haste to get to the console. With careful precision he set the coordinates to take him back to River just minutes after his earlier self departed. Faster than he expected, the TARDIS landed silently.

"Hey?" he said halfheartedly in protest about the brakes as he headed for the door. "I'm not trying to surprise her. At this hour she might shoot first."

The TARDIS opened the door before the Doctor could reach it. He stopped short in the doorway, unable to believe his eyes.

"What?" he exclaimed, perplexed. Shutting the door, the Doctor swiveled back to the interior. "What do you think you're doing? This is no time for games. I need to get to River." Returning to the console, he punched in the coordinates again and engaged the engines. Nothing. "Come on, Sexy, take me where I need to go. Please, River needs us."

In answer, the TARDIS threw open the door.

"No! What's wrong with you?" the Doctor demanded. "She's not here. She hasn't been here in a long long time. Don't you understand? River is going to die if you don't take me to her." Nothing.

Scratching his cheek in agitation, the Doctor paced between the door and the console. What would make the TARDIS bring him back to Demons Run just hours after the final battle? Was it to remind him of how pathetic his efforts to save Baby Melody had been. Sexy might not speak, but she could be quite eloquent at times. No, it had to be something else. What did Demons Run have that he couldn't find elsewhere? It was a military base. Weapons? No. Research lab? Baby Melody had been their research subject. Was there a clue to saving River in the research? But there was no reason to come here; he'd transferred all that data to the TARDIS hoping it would help him find Melody. Madam Kovarian had gotten clean away with Baby Melody, fooling him again with a flesh duplicate. This time with one of Mel-

"Noo, noo!" he whispered in disbelief. Without another word, the Doctor bolted through the open door. "Yes, oh yes." He clapped his hands. It was all here: Kovarian's state-of-the-art equipment and vat of flesh.

"Sexy, you're brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

(to be continued)


	3. Chapter 3

**Just a Minor Rewrite**

by Sylva Dax

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Doctor Who universe. I have merely borrowed it from the BBC.**

She'd barely wrapped her arms around his neck when the tug of war between CAL and the TARDIS began in earnest as each fought to rescue their charges.

"Hold on, River," he encouraged her, the strain already evident in his voice. "We're almost out. Ow, that hurt!" he exclaimed in surprise, his body spasming. "Ow!"

"Doctor?" River cried in alarm. "What's happening?" She barely managed to hold onto him.

"Nothing to worry about," he gasped, valiantly trying to maintain his grip on River as the anti-virus agents zapped him repeatedly. CAL fought dirty. Not fair.

His grasp was getting weaker with each agonized twitch. River knew that it was only a matter of time before death won the struggle. Not even a Timelord could cheat it forever. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't.

"Oh, my love, it's okay," she breathed reassuringly. If only she could see his face one last time. "You tried and I love you for it, but it's too late. I'm already gone."

"River, no!" he started but was interrupted by another attack. To his horror, she released him. Frantically reaching for her in the dark, he tried to explain that she'd been saved to his screwdriver, but it was too late.

**/**

His eyes darted about wildly in the glare of the TARDIS' medical bay lights before the Doctor realized where he was. Ignoring the electrodes attached to his head, he turned urgently to the prone figure laying beside him.

"River? River, please, open your eyes," he begged. "You're not dead! Do you hear me? You're not dead. I saved you. Do you hear me, wife? I saved you; now open your eyes!"

Nothing. River Song's body remained immobile, hooked to life support and the same electrodes that were attached to him.

"Oh no. Sexy, she's not here. Quick, send me back." He lay back down and braced himself for the transfer. Once again, nothing. "What are you doing? There's no time to lose. Send me back now!"

In answer, the overhead monitor blinked. According to the readout he'd gone critical and nearly died. The TARDIS barely got him out alive.

"I don't care. You send me back!" the Doctor insisted. "I can't leave her there. I don't know how I ever thought I could. Please, send me back," he pleaded. The monitor blinked repeatedly. "Alright, since you won't send me back," he snarled, yanking the wires from his head as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the medical bed, "I'll access CAL directly. Now, let me out of here!"

With considerable effort the Doctor pushed himself off the bed and collapsed to the floor. Unable to rise, he curled up into a miserable ball, once again overcome by grief. It wasn't supposed to end like this. This wasn't the plan. Not at all.

**/**

After exhausting days of preparation, the Doctor and the TARDIS stealthily entered River's bedroom while she slept. Tranquilizing her immediately, the Doctor carried River directly to the medical bay where Kovarian's neural transmitter equipment and vat of flesh had been transferred and modified.

After the Doctor hooked River to the modified transmitter, the TARDIS took infinite care directing the development of River's ganger. The lives of River, Donna, and 4022 persons depended on perfection.

When she was ready, the Doctor transferred River's sleeping attire, what little there was of it, to the unconscious ganger. He then installed the ganger River in River's bed. River had placed the screwdriver he'd given her on top of her TARDIS blue journal. He replaced it with a newly modified version.

They had created a neural network that connected the ganger directly with River and the two to the TARDIS and the Doctor through the screwdriver. It was the only way that they could ensure CAL's successful reboot with just a minor rewrite of that fateful event. The screwdriver was also a part of the backup plan in case River's consciousness failed to return to her body in the TARDIS when the ganger was destroyed.

Unfortunately, the resulting feedback from the reboot severed the TARDIS' connection with the screwdriver and knocked the Doctor out. By the time she had reestablished the connection and revived him, his younger self had sprinted through the Library determined to save River by uploading her to CAL.

Rescuing River should have been easy, but they weren't prepared for CAL's aggressive response. It was Demons Run all over again. Once again he'd failed to save her.

**/**

Screwdriver? Was he planning to carry her around in his pocket? That impossible man. And then she was back in that sunny place, standing on the greenest lawn she'd ever seen.

"It's okay," young Charlotte assured her as she approached River with Dr. Moon close by her side. "We almost lost you, but Dr. Moon got rid of that awful virus that attacked you. You're safe now. You'll always be safe here now that the Doctor's fixed the core."

Charlotte said something else but River had stopped listening. He'd come for her. Her Doctor. The warmth that filled her had nothing to do with the sunlight or the hugs and kisses she was receiving from Anita, Dave, Proper Dave, and Miss Evangelista. He'd risked everything to come for her: crossing timelines, risking paradoxes, even his own life. Her Doctor had thought her worth it all.

"Hello, Charlotte. You are a very clever girl."

"Who are you and how did you get here?" Dr. Moon demanded. "No, Charlotte, stay behind me."

River and her friends immediately turned their attention to the curious commotion. River thought the new arrival looked familiar but couldn't quite place her. Charlotte darted around her protector and ran to the strangely dressed woman and hugged her.

"Thank you so much for all the new stories," Charlotte said, beaming up at the stranger.

"One more time: who are you?" Moon insisted, with a pistol aimed at the intruder.

"No, she's the Doctor's friend," Charlotte told Moon, protecting her new friend.

"Yes, I'm Sexy," she said with a smile, "and I just wanted to thank you for taking such pains to protect our River. But, now, it is time for me to take my child home."

**/**

The Doctor lay curled up in a ball on the floor next to the medical bed when firm arms slid around him and pulled him into a warm embrace. Gentle lips brushed his. Hungrily he sought them out, drawing strength from the love they offered. Still too weak to rise, the Doctor and his River were content to lay in each others arms on the floor of the medical bay, their future yet unwritten.

Sexy dimmed the lights.

**XXX**

**A/N: Thank you so much to those who paused long enough to leave a review. I loved hearing from you.  
**

**The beginnings of a sequel keeps running through my head, but it is only a beginning. Where to next? Any ideas?  
**


End file.
